Bill Designed Help Victims Of Funeral Home Fraud Rooted In Tolland And Hartford Counties Passes State House

VERNON, CT — State Representative Tammy Nuccio (R-53rd District) is applauding House passage of legislation designed to assist victims affected by fraudulent or unlawful funeral service practices.

The impetus for the bill was an investigation and subsequent arrest of a funeral director connected to fraudulent practices with pre-paid funeral expenses in Tolland and Hartford counties.

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The bill passed the Connecticut House of Representatives Tuesday with no opposition by a vote of 146 to 0. Up next is the state Senate.

Nuccio crafted the proposal, officially known as HB 5381. It establishes a Funeral Service Guaranty Account that would provide restitution to individuals and families who were victimized by fraudulent funeral service practices.

The legislation was drafted in response to the affected families from funeral homes in Tolland, Vernon, East Windsor and
Coventry.

The bill previously advanced from the Appropriations Committee in April with strong bipartisan support.

"For the families who were affected, this wasn't just about money, it was about a terrible breach of trust," said Rep. Nuccio, the Committee's Ranking House Member. "Families had planned ahead and had entrusted money for services, and instead of being met with compassion and professionalism, they were taken advantage of in one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. That’s something no family should ever have to endure."

Nucio continued, "Today's passage is a significant step forward for these families. It sends a clear message that we
hear them, and we are committed to helping them rebuild after what they’ve gone through. This bill creates a path forward to restitution for victims, many of whom lost thousands in this alleged fraud. I urge the Senate to take action so we can deliver the accountability and support these families deserve."

The legislation was drafted in response to the case of funeral director Philip Pietras, 51, of Coventry, who became the focus of a criminal investigation amid accusations that he bilked families who pre-paid for services out of thousands of dollars. The money was used for what a warrant outlines as mostly personal gambling excursions and pleasure trips.

In September 2025, the Vernon Police Department announced that Pietras had been charged with 60 counts of intent to defraud funeral service contracts and 20 counts of second-degree larceny following an extensive investigation into allegations of fraudulent activity involving 66 pre-planned funeral contracts.

According to a warrant, the investigation began in April 2025.

Pietras' bond was set at $800,000.

He also faces charges out of East Windsor, Tolland and his hometown of Coventry.

Detectives investigated Pietras' business practices from 2009-onward, according to a warrant. The payments from clients deposited into a Pietras Funeral Homes account ranged from $100 to tens of thousands.

Personal trips cited in the warrant mostly centered around gambling and casinos visited by Pietras and included Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun and the MGM in Springfield close by and farther trips to places like the Bellagio and the Hard Rock in Last Vegas. Trips to Harrah's in Atlantic City were also mentioned n the warrant.

And the gambling was extensive, investigators said. For example, plays credited to Pietras' account at Foxwoods were worth $8,150,696 and his wife's plays were worth $2,079,792, according to a warrant.

And he didn't always win. In a report from Mohegan Sun obtained by police, Pietras' accumulated $1,220,451 in losses from 2010 to 2024, mostly playing slot machines, according to a warrant.

He also gambled via online services, according to a warrant.

Detectives said in a warrant that he incurred "innumerable" expenses for restaurants and shopping sprees in Connecticut, along with other "frivolous" expenses.

Pietras owned the Burke-Fortin Funeral Home in Vernon and the stately Victorian Era mansion in the Rockville section of town that housed the business is for sale.

In July, the state Board of Embalmers revoked his license.

According to a warrant, Pietras told detectives that he would "rectify" the situation. According to a warrant, when asked by detectives if it were a common practice to use business accounts to fund personal endeavors, he responded, "Not really, but it might be the card I had available at the time. I just did it."